MLK Commemorative Celebration Features Rep. Bakari T. Sellers

VALDOSTA – Valdosta State University will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. in the University Center Magnolia Room. The MLK Commemorative Celebration's keynote speaker, Bakari T. Sellers, will deliver an address titled “Education, Civil Rights and Equality: Cornerstones of our Future”.

Elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2006 at age 22, Sellers became the youngest member of the South Carolina General Assembly. He is currently serving a third term in the House. The young politician was recognized as one of Time Magazine’s “40 Under 40” in rising stars of American politics in 2010.

“Rep. Sellers became active in politics early in age, much like Dr. King,” said Dr. Maggie Viverette, director of VSU’s Office of Social Equity and coordinator of the MLK Day Celebration. “It was Dr. King’s hope that any young person in the country regardless of color or race could identify with a goal and achieve it unhindered. Rep. Sellers is the embodiment of what Dr. King hoped for and that is evident in his activism in improving and changing public policy.”

Sellers holds a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse Degree and a law degree from the University of South Carolina. He is the son of civil rights leader Cleveland Sellers.

MLK Commemorative Celebration is free and open to the public.

“It is critical for VSU to continue to lead the way in recognizing the need for cross cultural understanding and activism for advancement,” said Viverette. “With this is mind, we continue to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and dream.”

For more information about the event, contact the Office of Social Equity at (229) 333-5463.